This is a revised version of a paper first presented in May 2013 in the South Asia Institute in Heidelberg University. Whereas the objective of the campaign against the Bangladesh International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) did not change during these last two years, tactics became more sophisticated as they are no longer centred on the legitimacy of trying criminals but on the legitimacy of the Bangladeshi legal framework that, quite similarly to those addressing Nazi atrocities during Second World War, forbids revisionism of atrocities in the Bangladesh case.

Whereas the technical intricacies of the issues involved remain certainly a fertile ground for interesting law expert debates, this paper continues to concentrate on the politics behind the debates.

With the Taliban dominant, ISIS will have trouble making space in Pakistan—though the group is becoming more popular

The brutal methods that the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) has become notorious for were already seen some years ago, first in Afghanistan and later in Pakistan, as the two branches of the Taliban in those countries took root. The Pakistani Taliban, in many ways, are the closest analogue of the terror group now expanding across the Arab world.

Formed in 2007, the Pakistani Taliban seized territory, imposed its own brutal brand of Islamic law, executed opponents — including landowners, politicians, and others they deemed to be guilty of crimes of “vulgarity” and “heresy”. Women from among the famous “dancing girls of Swat” were found dead, their bodies dumped in the central square of Swat’s main town. Preachers of Sufi Islam, a syncretic form of the religion that puts a heavy emphasis on ascetic practices, were brutally killed – their bodies cut apart and hanged publicly.

(By Frederic Grare) Bangladesh has plunged once again into one of those recurrent crises that have punctuated the country’s political life since independence. Khaleda Zia, leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the main opposition party, decided to commemorate the first anniversary of the 2014 parliamentary elections as the day of “the murder of democracy” at the start of the year, calling for a demonstration that was immediately outlawed by the government.

After absorbing 565 princely states at the time of partition of India, India annexed Hyderabad, Junagadh, two-thirds Kashmir, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Goa, Diu & Daman, Sikkim and cut Pakistan into two. India has water disputes with Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan and it is using water terrorism as a tool to humble Pakistan. India has border disputes with all its neighbors. Tied to four-fold caste system, India’s 2.8% ruling Brahmans have been carrying out massive human rights violations against all the minorities in India.

Senator Imam said that honour killings are common throughout the country, claiming the lives of hundreds of victims every year. She quoted the Aurat Foundation’s statistics, saying that 432 women were reportedly killed in the name of honour in Pakistan in 2012, 705 in 2011, 557 in 2010, 604 in 2009 and 475 women were killed in 2008.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police, during the ongoing search and strike operation throughout the province, arrested 257 suspects on Sunday.

Police also recovered 58 weapons of different kind. During snap checking on 134 checkpoints, 200 suspects were held while a total of 46 unregistered Afghan nationals were also detained and 20 cases registered against them.

Security inspections of 788 educational institutions were also carried out and various institutions were advised to beef up security arrangements further.

Waking up from a deep slumber after decades, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Textbook Board has begun developing books on Ethics as an alternative subject to Islamiat for non-Muslim schoolchildren in the province.

Currently, Islamiat is not compulsory for non-Muslim students at schools. They can opt for Ethics subject in place of Islamiat.

Ironically, the KPTB hasn’t yet developed Ethics textbooks for public and private schools in the province.